As the year began, the United Kingdom was on the cusp of having the first Prime Minister with Kenyan roots as Rishi Sunak was heavily touted to be the favourite to succeed Boris Johnson.
The 41-year-old British chancellor of the Exchequer was regarded as the politician best suited to assume the Prime Minister role due to his popular fanbase that had increased significantly in the recent past.
However, a new scandal that broke out this past week revealed the chink in Sunak's armour.
It was discovered that the chancellor's wife, Akshata Murthy, did not pay the UK tax on her international income. The arrangement saw her avoid taxes amounting to Ksh300 million.
Akshata hails from one of the most revered and wealthy families in India.
The development came at a time when Sunak had come under criticism over his handling of the country's financial policies at a time when British citizens are grappling with hard economic times.
His father-in-law, Narayana Murty, is an Indian billionaire who is the Chief Executive of Infosys - a technology company that provides IT-based services. He was, however, on the spot for advocating for workers to be put in 60-hour week shifts.
In addition, Sunak was on the spot for holding the United States (US) Green card while living in London. This contravened the global rule that Green cardholders must pay US tax on their global income and they must make America their permanent home.
A spokesperson from Sunak's office, however, claimed that he returned the green card after an official trip in October 2021.
To add to his woes, the chancellor was slapped with a fine by the Metropolitan police for attending Boris Johnson's birthday party and essentially breaking lockdown rules in Downing Street in June 2020.
Downing Street is reserved for the official residence of the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. The street is also closed to the public.
Sunak, however, defended himself saying that he only went to the Cabinet room to discuss critical issues with Johnson.
In light of the string of scandals, the Guardian is among prominent voices that have ruled out the chances of the once-promising star occupying 10 Downing Street - whose occupants have all been Caucasians.
The chancellor came to the United Kingdom after his family migrated from Africa in the 1960s. His father was born in Kenya while his mother was a Tanzanian native.
